At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays, Sierra Young serves up mango smoothies, juices, and more, with a bright enthusiasm that complements her eye-catching orange mobile mango cart. “The whole concept of this business that I created was simply based on my passion for mangoes. I literally eat them religiously, daily,” she says. During the pandemic, Sierra channeled her deep love of mangoes into launching her business, Mangosay.
In 2022, Sierra started popping up at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market as part of Foodwise’s Building Equity Program, which supports the business growth, economic viability, and asset-building of food entrepreneurs of color. She recently became a permanent vendor at the Saturday market. At the California Small Farms Conference last month, Sierra joined Foodwise and Mandela Partners on a panel about “Advancing Equity for BIPOC Entrepreneurs at Farmers Markets,” to share her journey and partnerships built along the way.